Letter to the Editor

Regarding the latest in an extremely long list of shootings in this country, I would like to make some observations: we glamorize war and invade countries that didn’t attack us, we promote further violence by having a death penalty, we have two-and-a-half times the per capita gun ownership of any other country in the world (and two-and-a-half times the murder rate), it’s harder to register to vote than it is to get a gun permit in many states, we have an entire political party which voted unanimously against a ban on assault rifles, we promote (sometimes through religious groups) fear and hatred against Islam, undocumented aliens, African-Americans and gays (and others) – why are we surprised when horrifying incidents such as the shootings in Connecticut take place? To say we need to reevaluate our gun control laws is a gross understatement.

One of the arguments for more guns that I have heard is “If the teachers had been armed, there wouldn’t have been as many kids killed.” My question is this: Do we really want our children and grandchildren attending schools where the teachers carry guns? It’s not a case of violating someone’s Second Amendment rights, it’s a case of what is going to make our nation (especially our children) safer and more secure.

The definition of insanity is “Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” What we are doing is NOT working; let’s drop our political partisanship and look at the facts. The answer is not more guns; the answer is more complicated. Critical thinking about this issue is paramount.

It’s time for change and a re-evaluation of our priorities as a nation. To paraphrase a popular saying: I don’t want someone prying the weapon from my grandchildren’s cold, dead fingers.